Pet Spider
by Sylean89
Summary: Inuyasha has the ultimate leash to control his tantrums, so why not collar Naraku, who has an even greater temper? What will the consequences be in subjugating such a volatile being? Kagome will find out soon enough. (Humor/romance/angst in that order. Lemon and Character death near end of story.)
1. Chapter 1

Pet Spider

Summary: Inuyasha has the ultimate leash to control his tantrums, so why not collar Naraku, who has an even greater temper? What will the consequences be in subjugating such a volatile being? Kagome will find out soon enough. (Humor/romance/angst in that order. Lemon and Character death near end of story.)

Beginning is comedy ending gets more angsty, a mismatch of ideas thrown together just for the fun of it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. There is a lemon and character death near the end of the story.

(A/N: I know this sounds a bit ridiculous, but here goes:

Naraku has killed Kikyo after emerging from Mt. Hakurei, giving Kagome back her entire soul and with it her powers. I don't normally go with this cliché, but the idea I got for it sounded funny enough to give it a shot.

This is more fast-paced and simple than I normally write, it's a way for me to keep my mind working when I don't have time to really get into an in-depth storyline.

There is a very good chance the characters will be considered slightly OOC, maybe even CRACK-Fic at times.

Last minute, I decided to divide this into chapters, even though i'm posting them all at once, simply for ease of navigation.)

* * *

Chapter 1

Having received news of a jewel shard, Kagome, Inuyasha, and the rest trudged along through the forest in its pursuit. They knew Naraku's hideout was somewhere in this vicinity, but even after several scouting trips, never managed to find it. He had gotten evermore powerful, his massive aura expanding at an exponential rate. Kagome had begun to realize that if this continued, he'd surpass everyone, even Sesshomaru. They wouldn't have a snowball's-chance-in-hell to defeat him. That got her mind looking for alternate solutions. It was like a light was flicked on in a dark, cobweb-infested cellar when the idea finally hit her. She spent the entirety of her spare time since, getting the 'weapon' ready. Today, she was just _waiting_ for him to show up and challenge them, it sounded even more exciting than running into the gorgeous Sesshomaru.

How fortunate it was then, when the sky darkened to a deep purple and black, announcing that the theatrical menace was near. Her lips twisted up into a smirk that would mirror Naraku's as she kept pacing as if nothing was happening. Before the miasma could engulf them or her companions could separate in preparation to fight, Kagome encased them all in a mobile barrier, not breaking stride, and stated confidently, "I've got this. He's mine."

They all looked around confused, but had no choice but to keep walking as her barrier gently nudged them along. Inuyasha stated barking about how he wanted to cut the monster down with Tessaiga and that she had no right to take that away from him. She all but toned him out, waiting patiently for Naraku to show. He was sure to be both curious and annoyed at her sudden lack of concern for his presence. It was only a matter of time.

To speed up the process, Kagome started chanting in a singsong manner a childhood song that suddenly popped into her head, "The itsy-bitsy spider went up the water spout, down came the rain and washed the spider out, out came the sun and dried up all the rain, and the itsy-bitsy spider crawled up the spout again." Having completed her song she couldn't help the giggle in response to the strength of his aura pressing harder on her barrier. Her friends just continued to watch her swaying steps, sharing glances between them, and wondering if she had finally snapped and gone insane. "Come on out to play, Little Spider."

Naraku was getting angry in response to her taunting, but refused to show it. She couldn't keep that barrier up for long and once it fell, they were no match for him. He had shown up himself this time, intending to end all of them now that Kikyo was out of the way. What he didn't know was that with Kikyo's death, and the return of Kagome's soul, her powers were unlocked; powers that rivaled, if not surpassed those of Kikyo. "Seems you have learned a new trick, Wench, but how long can you keep it up?" Naraku's voice echoed all around them.

' _He thinks I'm weak still,'_ she noted, deciding to play that advantage. "Its all thanks to you, Naraku," Kagome cooed, feigning appreciation. "I don't think you even realized that you returned my soul to me." _'And now for the lie.'_ "But you are right, I can't keep this barrier up forever, why don't you come on out so I can see the face of the one who'll destroy me. Unless you're too scared…" A few more steps had Kagome squinting through the purple haze to see an outline of an inhuman figure. He slipped in and out of view to her right, seemingly matching her steps. "Oh, there you are." Inuyasha saw him too and tried to strike at him but bounced off the barrier. Kagome wasn't going to let any of them get hurt, not when she knew how to end this whole mission with a single word.

"Why do you prolong the inevitable?" Naraku attempted to rattle Kagome, who couldn't seem to care either way as she hopped along the trail, jumping from one dried leaf to the next. There was just something about that satisfying crunch sound they made.

"You were human once, so I'm sure you understand," she began, intentionally hitting a sore spot. She needed him to get a little closer so she had a clear shot. "Onigumo refused to die in that cave, even went so far as to let demons devour him if it meant he could live anew."

Naraku chuckled as he walked a little closer, unknowing the schemes of the typically clueless girl still out of his reach. "Do you intend to let a demon devour you as well?" his insinuation was hard to miss.

"There's no need," Kagome brushed off his threat, then suddenly stopped her childish antics and looked directly at Naraku. "I brought you a gift." Her voice was cheerful, innocent.

"What could you possibly give me that would be worth the satisfaction of ending all of your miserable lives?" he sneered as he mocked her.

"You should really see what I have for you before you make up you mind, you know," she sounded disappointed, like his words hurt her. _'Those acting lessons really are paying off, just a little more.'_ She set her large yellow bag down on the ground and began rifling through it, finding the object, she twined her hands around it and ever so discreetly, began chanting a spell. It was a familiar spell, one she used on a daily basis, why it took her so long to get this idea, she had no idea. Having recited all but the last word, she stood, a beaded necklace grasped in her hands. Inuyasha recognized immediately what Kagome was about to do and literally yipped and hid behind Sango and Miroku. Saying the last word, the beads flew from her hands and placed themselves around Naraku's neck. He jumped back, fearing they were some sort of a purification, but no pain accompanied the new accessory. He landed and grabbed at them, but they clung to him relentlessly.

"What are these?" Naraku growled.

Kagome just tapped her chin with her finger in thought, "Now for the word… hmmm, this is even harder than when I had to pick a word for Inuyasha. Lets see, it can't be as simple, have to account for all the exceptions I'm sure you'll try to find. I think, _'Intent.'_ " Just as the word left her lips, Naraku became alight with a fierce, holy flame that sent him to his hands and knees in pain. His outcry must have echoed for miles before the flames finally let up.

"You wench," Naraku growled between pants, "What the hell did you do to me?" His eyes burned a fierce red, displaying just how furious he now was.

"I thought you knew everything about us, Naraku," Kagome teased. "Guess not, for if you did, you'd know exactly what those beads were." Noticing the miasma had dissipated, Kagome lowered her barrier. "Right, Inuyasha?" The pup was still standing behind Sango and Miroku, hoping he wouldn't be used as a way to explain the beads to Naraku. "Oh, don't worry, Inuyasha, I'm not going to say si-" He visibly flinched at the word, bristling all over, making her giggle at the extent he was trained. Now, it was time to train the stubborn spider. She lowered her barrier for a reason, figuring it was only a matter of time before he tried to strike her down. Subjugating Naraku was risky, because she would have to sleep sometime, and needed to make sure he was controlled passively, as well as actively.

"I was going to kill you quickly, but after this infraction, I will make you suffer!" he declared as he sprouted out tentacles in her direction. Her friends screamed for her safety, tried to reach her or urge her to speak; she didn't move, not a word, just a grin cast in his direction. Just before the tentacle was able to strike her, it burst into the same flaming agony, spreading rapidly up along the appendage towards Naraku's body. He severed the unnecessary limb in a frightened attempt to keep the pain away, but the beads around his neck engulfed him anyways.

While he was still prone on the ground, trying to recover, Inuyasha leapt into action, "This is the perfect time to rid the world of that menace!" He raised his sword high to strike down the temporarily helpless demon.

"Inuyasha, no!" Kagome screamed, "Don't do it!" He didn't have time to register why she would protect Naraku before he too became engulfed in that same blindingly painful spell. The two were heaving on the ground in close proximity as Kagome ran over to check on her friend. He was still breathing, but raggedly, slowly recovering.

"What'd you do that for, Kagome?" Sango asked as the rest approached the downed demons.

"I tried to warn him," she shrugged, then turned to Naraku. He did not look happy about this, big surprise. "Well, dogs tend to learn best by example, but I'm hoping you're smart enough to heed my words so I don't have to hurt you anymore. I really don't like seeing anyone in pain."

"I find that hard to believe," Naraku spat out, finally able to pull himself into a sitting position. Kagome was sitting on her knees between the two of them.

"Anyways," she continued, "those beads won't come off until I take them off. They prevent you from harming anyone _and_ ," she turned towards Inuyasha, "prevent anyone from harming you."

"What!?" the rest of her friends screamed out.

"It was the only spell strong enough," she explained. "A normal subjugation wouldn't have worked on him with as powerful as he's become." Naraku scoffed and stood, turning to walk away. "Oh, and one more thing Naraku, unless I permit it, you are to stay within range of my senses. Can't have you going and harming anyone's mental well-being as I know you're so prone to or just using others to do your dirty work."

A deep growl reverberated around them. Naraku turned his scorching red eyes on Kagome. She fought back a chill even though she knew he couldn't harm her. "And what would you have me do, follow you around like a new _pet_?" he spat the words out with such distaste she almost felt bad, but how else would she keep him in line.

"For the time being," he just glared at her. "Now come on, there's supposedly a jewel shard just on the other side of this forest." She turned and started traipsing along the trail once more, the others waited until Naraku begrudgingly began to follow before following suit. They didn't trust him being behind them.

' _This will literally be the death of me you foolish girl,'_ Naraku seethed. _'You do not know what you have done.'_


	2. Chapter 2

Pet Spider

Summary: Inuyasha has the ultimate leash to control his tantrums, so why not collar Naraku, who has an even greater temper? What will the consequences be in subjugating such a volatile being? Kagome will find out soon enough. (Humor/romance/angst in that order. Lemon and Character death near end of story.)

Beginning is comedy ending gets more angsty, a mismatch of ideas thrown together just for the fun of it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. There is a lemon and character death near the end of the story.

* * *

Chapter 2

Naraku took the time during the slow hike to make sense of his situation. _'I could try to find another priestess to remove the rosary, if I can find one as strong as this wench, but in order to do that I'll need to get_ permission _,'_ he thought venomously, _'to leave her sight. Then there's also the issue of maintaining my existence. I would assume I can last a month before I have to feed, assuming I remain in possession of this half of the jewel. I am surprised she has not demanded it of me yet. It would seem, my best bet for survival would be to get closer to the infuriating woman. Attempting such so soon, however, would be suspicious, I will bide my time and find their weaknesses.'_

"Oh look, I see the edge of the forest," Kagome cheered and sprinted off in the direction that the light shone through the gaps in the trees. She blinded herself as she broke through the tree-line, rubbing her eyes. Looking out over the landscape, she saw the village in question, but couldn't feel a jewel shard anywhere, well, except hers and Naraku's. She could take his at anytime, and even though it probably wouldn't mean much, she didn't want to take everything from him in one day. She really did feel bad when she had to subjugate him, seeing him collapse in pain like that was heart wrenching. "I don't sense any jewel shards here…" she spoke as the rest of them caught up, showing her disappointment at their wasted time.

' _That is because the shard was simply a rumor to lure you to me,'_ Naraku recalled bitterly. _'I should have just stayed away.'_

"Well, there may not be a shard, but at least we'll get a hot meal and a good nights sleep," Kagome beamed, her unbreakable, cheerful spirit showing as she skipped down the road.

* * *

Prancing into the village, the residents all fled in total horror. This reaction had Kagome completely confused until she remembered just _who_ she had following her. _'Duh,'_ she nearly face-palmed. "Uh, Naraku," she addressed the scowling demon, "mind hiding the dragon tails and spikes and such." (A/N: His appearance after emerging from Mt. Hakurei.) Not breaking his gaze, a swirl of miasma engulfed him and dissipated just as suddenly, revealing a very human-looking Naraku, except for those hellish red eyes. Kagome smiled brightly, "Thank you. Now, lets find a place to stay, I'm starving."

"There is a problem there, Kagome," Miroku spoke. "We are out of money." He held up a string with only a single coin dangling from it. Her face looked suddenly saddened. To cheer her up, Miroku became suddenly animated, "Oh my, I sense an ominous black cloud. Come, I must perform an exorcism." Kagome giggled at his spiel, understanding his intentions while Sango and Inuyasha just rolled their eyes.

"He never changes," Shippo quipped from Kagome's shoulder.

Naraku only watched as if it was the most boring event ever, but was secretly taking in every piece of knowledge he could in search of their secret frailties.

* * *

A while later found them seated with food brought out in appreciation of exorcising the 'demon.' They were all, except Kagome, very uncomfortable with Naraku's presence, despite his lack of threat. Even being quiet, he was hard to ignore. While the other's dug into their food, some more crudely than others, Naraku made no effort to touch his. He didn't need human food, it was not enough to sustain him. Instead he spent his time telepathically talking to Kohaku and Kagura, sending them out to find a powerful priestess, and having Kanna search for any information on how to remove a subjugation spell. Inspecting the rosary, he noted its appearance, alternating black and red beads, the red having a black spider painted on them. It also had three small charms hung off of it that each glowed slightly. On their recent travels, he had been witness to Inuyasha's subjugation, understanding her insinuations from earlier, that he had one too. The power emanating off of Inuyasha's rosary was undeniably that of Kikyo, whereas his was pure Kagome. He had no idea she was so much stronger that the undead miko, otherwise he would have made sure to eliminate her much sooner. Even now, he couldn't feel any power emanating off her, but the pain from earlier attested to the opposite. He had never found a priestess with such power.

Kagome understood he was in no mood to speak, but his silence still left her a little… concerned. Stealing glances at him from time to time, she had no idea what to say to him. She wanted to cheer him up, but knew the only thing that would do that was release him, and then he'd probably just slaughter them all. Sighing, she decided to just give him space. She could only imagine how it would feel if _her_ freedom had been taken away.

That night found all of them asleep, except Naraku and Inuyasha. Naraku reclined by a window, peering out in thought and determinately ignoring the guard dog that refused to let him out of sight. Inuyasha was understandably cautious, Naraku was a master at getting others to do his dirty work for him and he refused to give him that chance.

This routine continued for a very tense couple of days before Kagome finally approached him. They made camp and Naraku, as always, set away from the rest in the shadows. His subordinates continued to come up empty-handed. The only information of import was from Kanna. She explained how if Kagome died before the rosary was removed, the power would remain within it, keeping him trapped and allowing _any_ priestess to control him if they learned the word. He would need to destroy her powers, not just her body. The last piece of assistance Kanna could give was, "Every soul has its weakness."

' _If that is the case, than what are Kagome's?'_ he thought. The whole time he'd been here, her indomitable spirit seemed impenetrable. There had to be something.

"Naraku? Are you alright?" she asked timidly, drawing his gaze. He hadn't eaten a bite nor said a word since that first day; she was really starting to worry that he had fallen into some sort of demon depression.

' _Perhaps her pity,'_ he pondered silently before turning away without a word.

"Leave him be, Kagome," Inuyasha scoffed, "no use wasting effort on _him_."

"Sit boy," Kagome commanded. _'At least Naraku is smart enough not to trigger his subjugation.'_ She sighed loudly then looked back at the dark-haired demon in front of her. He was so hard to read, but it was obvious he was deeply bothered. If only she could get him to open up to her, maybe she could help him; _truly_ help him. It was unlikely he'd speak freely in front of everyone though. She returned to her sleeping bag with thoughts of guilt plaguing her mind.

* * *

It was the next day that they finally found a shard, Naraku sat back and just watched the show since his rosary prevented him from fighting. The demon ogre was proving to be more of a challenge for them than he would have anticipated. Where these seriously the same people who caused him so much hassle. A sacred arrow went flying, powerful, but completely missing its target. It was obvious to him, even without being able to see the shards like she could, that the jewel was in the demons neck, yet her arrow only grazed its shoulder. _'Pathetic,'_ he mocked to himself.

"You missed _again_ Kagome?" Inuyasha shouted. "Kikyo would have never missed her target." And there it was, Kagome's weakness laid bare in front of him, all thanks to Inuyasha's callousness.

Her shoulders slumped, and her bangs hid her eyes, wetness accumulating at the familiar insult. Even when she was dead, he stilled compared everything she did to the woman of his past. "Well, I'm NOT Kikyo!" she yelled.

"Obviously," he barked back, still crudely trying to hack away at the demon.

With the two of them proving to be rather useless, Sango and Miroku teamed up. Sutras were plastered onto Hiraikotsu and hurled at the demon. The first strike was dodged, but upon its return, severed its neck. Still bickering, Miroku interrupted their argument, "Kagome, would you please retrieve the shard? Kagome?" She didn't hear anything over their combined screaming. Miroku rubbed his temples in annoyance.

Naraku finally let a small grin alight his face as an opening was spotted. It was the smallest crack in her heart, but he would pick at it until it shattered. Sending orders to Kagura, he set his plan in motion before turning back to the commotion in front of him.

* * *

(A/N: This part intertwines with episode 125, where Inuyasha takes off at the rumor of Kikyo being alive still.)

Kagome sat curled in on herself, barely holding back tears, on the outskirts of a village. Naraku's plan had worked perfectly. After having Kagura slay a traveler and use her dance of the dead, Inuyasha took off without a second thought in pursuit of a mere rumor of Kikyo. Kagome had dared to think that with Kikyo's untimely death, maybe Inuyasha would finally notice _her_ , but this showed she would never be first in his mind. She mourned silently, not simply because he ran to Kikyo, but because her hope of a relationship was breaking.

Hearing heavy footsteps right in front of her, Kagome looked up just enough to see a pair of black boots, their owner standing directly in front of her. Letting her blank gaze look up, her head tilted back at a very uncomfortable angle. Those red eyes stared down at her, she had no idea why and hadn't the energy to try and figure him out right now.

"Why do you allow him to treat you like trash?" his voice held no malice, it actually sounded like he was genuinely curious. Everyone was shocked, Kagome especially, not necessarily by the words, but simply because he spoke at all. She blinked up at him a few times, trying to determine if she was hearing things or not. "You have the power to make him do whatever you want. Why do you not use it?"

She finally understood and glared back, "You mean subjugate him until he loves me? It doesn't work that way." She paused and looked to her left in the direction Inuyasha had bound off in. "Why do you care anyways?" She hadn't meant to sound so rude, but in her pain, it just came out. It didn't seem to faze him.

He came down on one knee and leaned in close to her ear so only she would hear his honeyed words, "Power should be respected, _desired_ , not cast aside carelessly." His hot breath danced across her cheek as he spoke, then was gone just as quickly.

It took her a few seconds to process what he had just said and by the time she did, he was standing once again. _'Did he just say I should be desired? No, he said_ power _should be desired, not me.'_ "I'm not powerful. I can't even shoot an arrow properly…" Inuyasha's insults had left quite the mark on her.

"Need I remind you," his partial sentence was punctuated by the rosary he drew her attention to.

' _He, is implying that,_ I _am powerful?'_ her jaw dropped at his seeming act of… kindness. "Uh, Th-thank you, Naraku." She gave a small smile and cheered up a little.

"Did you just see that too, Miroku?" Sango whispered.

"Yes, however I find it hard to believe," he responded back.

"Whoever thought Naraku, of all people, would be the one to cheer up Kagome," Shippo added.

' _Keep it up, Inuyasha,'_ Naraku thought maliciously behind his peaceful mask. _'Just a few more instances like this and Kagome will begin to trust me more than you. Then I'll regain my freedom and leave you all to rot in my dungeon.'_


	3. Chapter 3

Pet Spider

Summary: Inuyasha has the ultimate leash to control his tantrums, so why not collar Naraku, who has an even greater temper? What will the consequences be in subjugating such a volatile being? Kagome will find out soon enough. (Humor/romance/angst in that order. Lemon and Character death near end of story.)

Beginning is comedy ending gets more angsty, a mismatch of ideas thrown together just for the fun of it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. There is a lemon and character death near the end of the story.

* * *

Chapter 3

The days passed and Naraku's words were few and far in between. He preoccupied his time with plotting and discreetly testing his boundaries. He only spoke to Kagome, and _only_ when she was upset. Miroku was curious, but for the life of him couldn't flush out any possible motives or sinister plot behind it. Today found them on a dirt road, plodding along in their quest, when Inuyasha's nose twitched in disgust. Kagome heard his growl and immediately sensed two jewel shards approaching very quickly.

' _This will be interesting,'_ Naraku thought to himself as the wolf gained on them.

"Oh, no," she sighed already prepared for the constant flirting and awkward refusals. No sooner than she thought that were her hands clasped in his as a fierce wind whipped on by.

"Kagome, you look well," he flattered.

"Oh, hi Kouga," she plastered on a fake smile. "What brings you here?"

"Well, I caught Naraku's scent; I know he's in this vicinity somewhere, but don't worry, I'll have his head for ya in no time," he boasted quickly, tunnel vision trained solely on Kagome.

"Is that so?" a deep, smooth voice intoned. Naraku smirked as Kouga's eyes widened immensely. "I'd like to see you try." Easily taking the bait, Kouga rattled off another threat or conviction before lunging, completely missing Kagome's plea to stop.

Right before the blow landed, he felt as if he was being burned alive from the inside out. It was excruciating, blinding all of his senses beside touch, as he yipped and writhed on the ground. Naraku only laughed at the idiot, reveling in the fact his subjugation could hurt others. He may not be able to strike out with his own power, but that wouldn't stop him from taunting others into his web.

As soon as Kouga caught his breathe, Naraku began again, "Whats the matter, Wolf? I thought you wanted to strike me; lose your nerve."

"You bastard," Kouga spun on the ground trying to kick Naraku's legs out from under him but was struck once more by the same pain. Naraku's laughter got louder and darker before Kagome's voice rung out.

"Naraku! Enough, that is not nice," she scolded. "He's my friend! Don't make me have to say _it._ "

Still chuckling under his breathe, he feigned regret, "My deepest apologies, Kagome, however it was he who attacked me."

"You goaded him and you know it!" she rebuked back, checking up on Kouga to make sure he was alright. "Kouga, you need to stop trying to fight and just listen to me."

"W-what did h-he do t-to m-me?" he panted out of his exhaustion.

"See the necklace he wears? It's a subjugation rosary; I placed it. It prevents him from hurting others and from others attacking him. It was the only spell I could find that was strong enough to neutralize his threat," she explained calmly.

"So, you're protecting him?!" Kouga growled. "Have you forgotten what he's done to my pack?"

"Don't you yell at me, Kouga!" her temper rose. "Of course I haven't. But really, your pack was only slaughtered because they invaded his castle and tried to steal the jewel for their own selfish purposes. You only want vengeance because you feel guilty for not being there. His death would not alleviate that guilt and I am putting an end to all this senseless bloodshed!" Kouga looked as though he had been struck, Kagome hit upon all of his buried pains.

"You're my woman," Kouga demanded. "You should always stand on my side no matter what."

"I will only say this one more time, Kouga. I. AM. NOT. YOUR. WOMAN!" she screamed, then calmed. "I am your friend."

"I see," he murmured as he sped off. She felt bad; never wanting to hurt him.

"Good riddance," Inuyasha scoffed.

"Sit boy," she snapped, Inuyasha only made her feel worse about her argument.

Slumped on the ground, Kagome jumped when a hand was suddenly offered her. Taking it mindlessly, it hoisted her up before she had seen just who had shown support and was shocked to see it was Naraku. She stared at him, marveling at how he could be so nice when he wanted before realizing she was still gripping his hand. Dropping it like she was burned she backed up and blushed. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo bore witness once again, but Inuyasha was still eating dirt.

Naraku had been impressed with her deduction skills, finding the wolf's weak spot so adeptly. On top of that, she had defended him, somewhat. It was a strange feeling; warm and foreign.

* * *

Time passed quickly, uneventfully, except for when Kagome finally demanded the jewel from Naraku. He had been even more intolerable since, but never quite to the point of causing his subjugation. With the jewel no longer sustaining his body, the effects of 'hunger' were taking hold quicker than he had expected. He was deteriorating, his very flesh decomposing off of him, and there was nothing he could do about it with these damn beads around his neck. His body was made up of the bodies of various demons, and these demons were bound together by a mass of demonic power and a human soul. Without a constant supply, he would simply fall apart. That's why he wore the shapeless, baboon pelt, to hide his true composition from the world. And now, he was only a few days away from being nothing at all, reduced to _this_ by a mere human girl. It was infuriating, but he had run out of time; this is what he must do to live, "Miko, a word."

His harsh, impersonal words startled her, but seeing him turn away from the path they were currently trekking and heading into the woods made her understand that whatever he wanted to say was not something he wanted all to know. She turned to follow until Inuyasha grabbed her wrist, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Naraku wants to talk about something," she explained, "I'll be right back. He can't hurt me and we won't go far." He wouldn't relent. "Don't make me si-" that worked, sending him back with her nearly complete threat. She jogged to catch up to Naraku, watching his broad back as they moved further and further away. He stopped suddenly, but didn't speak. Kagome peaked around him searching for an answer, "What did you want to talk about?" He sighed, visibly so, then started loosening his haori and pelt. Kagome flinched back, thinking his intentions to be perverse, but when he spun around, chest revealed, she almost threw up at the sight. He looked like he was rotting. Having gotten his point across, he closed it back up and waited for her to recover from the sight. "W-what is wrong with you? Are you ill or something?"

"I am starving," it was the easiest term for her to understand.

"Well, why didn't you say so?" she scolded. "I have plenty of food in my bag still."

"That is not what I require," he corrected. This had to be handled delicately.

' _Now that I think about it, I've never seen him eat a single bit of any food we've prepared. I know I've offered several times,'_ she thought. "What is it you eat anyways, Naraku?" she wasn't sure she really _wanted_ to know, but if she didn't help him, he might die. _'Wasn't that the goal from the beginning? To kill him? But not this way, not so cruelly, and hopefully, not at all.'_

"Live demons," he watched her confusion. "If you remove the spell I can acquire what I need. If you do not, than you have sentenced me to a horrendous, slow death."

Kagome winced, guilt tearing at her for the obvious pain she's put him through, "If I nullify part of the spell, you won't hurt me, will you?"

"My priority right now is to sustain _my_ life, not take yours," he answered honestly.

"O-okay, I'll make it so you can fight, but you still need to remain close by and I can still use the command if I need to," she tentatively decided.

"Remove the barrier this rosary creates too," he added to the deal, "I need to be able to be attacked for this to work." Kagome was confused, but agreed. She touched two of the gems and their glowing vanished, signaling they were no longer in effect, then looked up at Naraku skittishly. He grabbed her hand and swiftly punctured a fingertip with a claw.

"Ouch," she exclaimed and tried to pull her hand away. "What was that for? Let me go."

"Hold still," he ordered, squeezing the digit until a drop of blood oozed out then swiped it off with his palm before letting her wrist go. Her finger went straight to her lips, sucking on it to sooth the pain and watching him carefully, slightly upset. "The blood of a human female, virgin at that, should lure enough demons to us. I will use you as bait." He squeezed his hand around the droplet and when he opened his hand a red mist floated out instead, spreading the scent faster. Luckily, they were downwind from Inuyasha, otherwise he'd have come running too.

Kagome blushed at the virgin comment, but then got mad as he told her she was bait. "I'm not bait!" she argued.

"You are," he looked up, "many demons have already begun converging in search of a meal… or _gratification_." Her face got red again at the insinuation. A few minutes passed before he spoke again. "They are here." Then he disappeared from her sight. She looked around frantically but couldn't see him.

A gravelly voice hissed out, "How lovely, a human, all alone, and ripe for the taking." More voices joined in making similar lewd comments about sharing then devouring her.

"G-get away," Kagome stuttered, fearful about suddenly being alone. She shrieked when she was suddenly grabbed around the middle and pulled into the forest, until she saw just whom the tentacle belonged to. She was upset he left her there but also relieved to be in familiar company, even if he was substantially more dangerous than the lesser demons before her.

"The human belongs to me," he stated to the horde that just kept growing in numbers. "Will you attack me in order to have her?" Just as predicted, the entire swarm charged him, he dropped Kagome to his feet and cast his spell, absorbing the masses of demons in a manner that she had seen before. She kept her head down, braced against the ground, until the commotion ceased. Slowly rising to her feet, she cautiously looked at Naraku. He had a calm expression. "That feels much better," he droned, nearly moaning out.

Kagome noted he was nearly glowing and looked significantly healthier. A worry began to creep in, _'Now that he's fed, will he find my death a priority.'_

His brightened eyes took in her new fear and smirked at the effect he still had on her. "Are you scared of me now, Kagome?"

"N-no," she failed at her bravado.

"You should be," he warned, and walked up closer to her. She backed up, but hit a tree.

"I-I can s-still use the command," she warned, "so d-don't go trying anything."

He chuckled at her, then threw her mind for a complete loop, "Don't you need to reactivate these gems?"

"Huh?" it was so unexpected she was sure she heard wrong. He pointed to the rosary, reminding her that two of them had been nullified. "Oh yeah." She regained her senses and quickly touched both of them, returning their light glow. With his threat once again eliminated, she smiled easily and followed as he began leading her back. No matter how she analyzed it though, she couldn't figure out why he willingly let her reactivate the rosary. He hated the thing, why would he remind her. He was an absolute enigma.

Naraku knew she was confused about his action, but if was part of the plan. It took only a word for her to overpower him and reactivate them by force, so it was in his best interest to cooperate and gain her trust. He wanted the _entire_ thing removed, not just partially deactivated.

Emerging from the forest, Inuyasha immediately jumped in front of him, "What took you so long?"

"It takes time to devour a fresh meal, Inuyasha," he took advantage of Kagome's distraction with her own thoughts to goad the hostile pup.

"Fresh meal?" his mind automatically went to the worst possible scenario. "Where is Kagome?"

He chuckled at the predictable response and stepped aside revealing the daydreaming girl just emerging from the tree line. The tension visibly deflated at her appearance. That is until Inuyasha turned his annoyance on her, causing an argument and getting sat.


	4. Chapter 4

Pet Spider

Summary: Inuyasha has the ultimate leash to control his tantrums, so why not collar Naraku, who has an even greater temper? What will the consequences be in subjugating such a volatile being? Kagome will find out soon enough. (Humor/romance/angst in that order. Lemon and Character death near end of story.)

Beginning is comedy ending gets more angsty, a mismatch of ideas thrown together just for the fun of it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. There is a lemon and character death near the end of the story.

* * *

Chapter 4

"No way!" Inuyasha denied Kagome. "You haven't been here that long, you're _not_ going home yet!"

"I have exams to take, and classes to catch up on," she countered back. "You can't make me stay here, I have a life there as well."

Usually keeping out of an argument, Miroku carefully addressed the two, "Lady Kagome, I am not in any way saying you shouldn't go home, but what do you plan to do about your newest… procurement." His head turned towards Naraku who had been listening intently, as always. This was the first time he'd heard about wherever it was that Kagome hailed from. "The rosary requires him to remain within your sensory range, does it not?"

Kagome's face fell, she had never thought about going home after placing the spell. What was she to do? She couldn't disable the proximity gem, then he might run off and do who-knows-what. But bringing him to her time… no, impossible, even if he could pass through… well, he is good at maintaining a disguise, and the rosary would keep him in line, so maybe…

"See, Miroku is right," Inuyasha grasped the new ammo quickly, "you can't just go bringing him to your time."

"Your _time_?" Naraku repeated, genuinely shocked at this information. _'Could that be the answer to her paradoxical nature?'_

"Inuyasha, you idiot," Shippo piped up, scolding the thoughtless dog.

"What if I did take him to my time?" Kagome spoke her thoughts out-loud.

"Are you crazy?" Inuyasha accused.

"It makes sense," she explained, unaffected by his outburst. "The rosary will keep him from hurting anyone, and he's a master at disguise, I can bring him with me to school and pretend he's an 'exchange student' or something." Inuyasha continued to disagree until Kagome's temper flared, "Its either he comes with me or I release him to wreak havoc once again, Inuyasha! Would you prefer that?"

"I would," Naraku chuckled. In all honesty, he was more curious to see her time than get released, _yet._ By saying he would prefer one option, Inuyasha would automatically disagree with him, and in this case, giving him exactly what he wanted.

"Fine, but I'm coming with you," Inuyasha growled, not for a second trusting Naraku. Who would?

* * *

Standing at the edge of the well, Naraku looked down it skeptically. It didn't look like anything special, but he did recall the first time that he ever saw Kagome it was when she was climbing out of this well.

"Okay, Inuyasha, you jump through first and I'll go through with Naraku to make sure the well accepts him," Kagome deduced tactically. Naraku wrapped an arm around her waist, making her blush, and waited on Inuyasha to jump.

"What? Get your hands off her!" Inuyasha barked.

"You heard her," Naraku taunted. Inuyasha growled, but jumped in anyways and was soon followed by Naraku carrying Kagome. The pair landed and Kagome stumbled on the old bones in the bottom, falling into Naraku's strong chest.

"S-sorry," she blushed even harder. She'd been doing that a lot lately, but why?

"Hurry it up already, Spider," Inuyasha barked. He jumped out into the well house and Kagome started leading the way. She carefully peeked out the door, looking for any visitors that might be at the shrine and luckily found none, but before she would continue, she addressed both demons behind her.

"Inuyasha, you already know much of this, but Naraku, there are no demons here," she began explaining the rules. His eyes widened at her declaration, wondering just when this time was. "Because of such, you must remain disguised at all times." Her hint was heeded as he altered his appearance as he had done before. "There are many things you are going to see that you don't understand. I don't mind if you ask questions as long as you don't draw attention to yourself and embarrass me, understood?" He nodded minutely. "Last, _both_ of you, be nice! No fighting, arguing, anything like that. I don't want to have to say the _words_." _'Im sure I'll think of more later, but for now, that will do.'_ "Okay, lets go." Kagome pranced happily to her house yelling, "Mom, Gramps, Souta, I'm home!"

"Oh Kagome dear, so good to see you," Ms. Higurashi greeted her daughter. "How have you been?"

"Been great mom," she smiled back. "I brought someone back for you to mee-"

"Ah, a demon!" Gramps shrieked as Inuyasha and Naraku entered the room. He grabbed a handful of sutras and charged at Naraku. "I'll purify the evil spirit."

"Gramps, No," Kagome objected as she held him back. "Stop it already, he already has a spell on him." After getting the elderly coot to exhaust himself, Kagome suggested, "Why don't you go count your antiques to calm down, okay gramps."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," he panted out as he padded out of the room.

Once one annoyance was gone, another showed up, "Inuyasha, you're here. Come here I wanna show you this new video game I got." He found himself being dragged away by the star-struck boy.

Letting out a sigh at the commotion finally dying down, Kagome continued her introduction, "Mom, I wanted you to meet someone from the other side of the well." She gestured towards Naraku who had been looking around the strange house trying to understand what a toaster was. "Now Mom, I know I already told you about him, but please hear me out before you freak. This is Naraku. Naraku, my Mom." She braced herself for her mom to lose her cool.

"Hmm, I see," she sized him up. "You said there is a spell on him, does it make him safe to be around?" Kagome looked up, relaxing a bit at her mother's collected way of addressing this.

"Yeah," she agreed. "He has a rosary similar to Inuyasha's, but its more strict. He can't hurt anyone, nor can anyone hurt him, and it also requires he stays within my spiritual sense range. That's why I brought him here. I also figured I'd bring him to school with me."

"I understand dear," her mom calmed the worried teen. "I trust your decisions."

Kagome lunged at her mom for a hug, "Thank you mom."

"You go make your guest comfortable and I'll have dinner ready shortly," Ms. Higurashi instructed.

"Come on, Naraku, I'll show you around. Naraku?" Kagome inquired as the inquisitive demon was opening and closing the refrigerator trying to figure out when the light turned on/off.

* * *

It took a while to get Naraku up to her room, so she could unload her bag, since he had to inspect every single everyday object they passed; a lamp, the TV, the indoor plumbing, the radio Souta left playing, the ringing phone, etc. Then unloading her bag caused it to begin anew as he watched every item she pulled out; text books, portable stove, first aid kit, tampons… Oh no. She snatched the last one back up before he could ask about them and turned a bright red and ran out of the room. When she finally returned, Naraku was seated on her bed with a book in hand. She panicked but then realized it was only a health textbook, that was harmless enough. He was probably just learning new ways to kill or something…

Once Inuyasha got free from Souta, he came straight into Kagome's room to see Naraku on her bed. Being a dog, he had discreetly scent marked the area during the times he spent here. Naraku had to have known that and was challenging him on purpose. "Hey, move it, Naraku," Inuyasha growled, making Kagome turn around to see what his problem was now. Naraku ignored him and only turned the page of the book, appearing to read the boring text. "I said move!"

"What is the matter, Inuyasha?" Kagome challenged. "He's not doing anything wrong. Leave him alone and be quiet, I need to study."

"But Kagome," Inuyasha whined aggressively, "he's- I mean- why are you letting him sit on your bed?"

"As long as he's quiet, I don't mind while I'm studying," she explained. "Besides, you sit on my bed all the time, it's no different." Inuyasha felt like she'd just slapped him and stomped off leaving the confused girl and smirking demon together.

Dinner didn't go over any smoother, Inuyasha tearing into his steak with claws and fangs had Naraku making off-hand comments on how he should learn some manners. Kagome couldn't really disagree with that observation, even though she had learned to tolerate it, but Inuyasha again snapped back at him and started another one-sided argument.

"Inuyasha, that's enough!" Kagome got sick of his 'irrational' behavior. "One more outburst and you can just go wait for me on the other side."

"Well, maybe I will," he snapped back, angry and confused as to why Kagome kept taking 'Naraku's' side.

"Good," she responded snarkily.

"Good," he growled back and stomped off, not even finishing his meal.

"Ugh, what's gotten into him?" Kagome fumed as she aggressively stabbed at her vegetables.

"He doesn't like me," Naraku stated the obvious, amused as she murdered her food. It took less time than he had expected to get rid of the mutt. The rest of these few days would be just Kagome and himself; the perfect opportunity to advance his plan and attain more information than he'd ever dreamed.

* * *

After getting Naraku into a suitable disguise, modern clothes and proper age appearance included, she got him into her class by claiming he was her cousin that was staying for a few days and was considering coming to school here in Tokyo and wanted to check it out first-hand. Everything was going smoothly until she got ambushed by her friends, all three swooning over the tall 'boy' and asking Kagome if he had a girlfriend or not. She expected Naraku to simply remain aloof, but he didn't, he was flirting back! She had no idea why but she got inexplicably jealous. It was infuriating how he'd occasionally give her a searing look as if he was challenging her to interfere. She couldn't though, because she had introduced them as cousins.

Having finally gotten out of school, Kagome was finally able to snap, "What was that all about?"

"What are you talking about, Ka-go-me?" he cooed, emphasizing her name in deeper voice, sending chills down her spine. He had been fully aware of her discomfort and only continued for that reason, seeing how far he could push her.

"Y-you know what I mean," she said with an impressive growl, for a human, "all that flirting with my friends."

"Is there a problem with that?" he mocked. "You did tell me to be _nice_." He had her there, but she was still jealous about it all. It didn't make sense. She wasn't with Naraku, he didn't belong to her, so she had no right to be getting this possessive. Did she _want_ to be with him? Is that what it meant? That couldn't be; this was Naraku she was talking about. She was supposed to be with Inuyasha, wasn't she? But lately, she was finding that she found her dog-eared friend to be more and more platonic and annoying. On the other hand, Naraku was becoming increasingly pleasant to be around. She was giving herself a headache with all this overanalyzing.

Kagome kept having a hard time focusing all throughout the walk home, her head was in the clouds so much she nearly walked right into a busy intersection. Naraku had snatched her up and quickly spun her into his arms and against his hard chest before she could tumble in front of a car. Being held against his perfect body didn't help the flustered teen one bit. She was now stealing glances at him only to look away if he turned his eyes onto her. _'What is wrong with me?'_ she would rant to herself. _'Knock it off girl, this is Naraku you're gawking at. You're just embarrassing yourself, he probably has no interest in you whatsoever.'_ She sighed aloud, _'He probably hates me for subjugating him.'_


	5. Chapter 5

Pet Spider

Summary: Inuyasha has the ultimate leash to control his tantrums, so why not collar Naraku, who has an even greater temper? What will the consequences be in subjugating such a volatile being? Kagome will find out soon enough. (Humor/romance/angst in that order. Lemon and Character death near end of story.)

Beginning is comedy ending gets more angsty, a mismatch of ideas thrown together just for the fun of it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. There is a lemon and character death near the end of the story.

* * *

Chapter 5

(A/N: Generic love song, I listened to like 5 of them and picked and chose a few lines. Listen to whichever is your favorite.)

Naraku stood at Kagome's bedroom door, just enjoying the sight. Her eyes were closed as she sang and swayed along with the music. It sounded like a song that lovers would play, mentioning things like "kiss me under the stars" and "hold me in your loving arms." Things were undoubtedly done differently here than in the past; if he were to use the tactics she grew up with, there was a higher chance of success for his schemes. He could hear the passion and sincerity in her voice, the words she was singing were how she felt. If her reactions earlier that day were any indication, it was himself she was thinking about. With an idea in mind, he quietly slipped behind her and right as she sang aloud, "Just take my hand," he did just that, spinning her around swiftly until he held her against his chest (A/N: Ball room dance style). He kept the steps going she had started and stared straight into her widened, surprised eyes. He had seen this on the "TV" when they returned to her home and hoped he was using it in the correct context, with his own flair added in, of course.

"You stopped singing," he pointed out to her. She was in too much shock to get any thoughts to form, and nearly fainted at the next thing he did. Since the song was already halfway over, and the chorus repeats several times in a typical song, Naraku actually started singing it to her, quietly, just above a whisper, in his deep, heartthrob octave. He moved around her small bedroom with grace, spinning her when there was room, and somehow keeping her clumsy self from tripping over her own feet. Kagome's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to escape her chest and her face was reddened with a fierce blush that refused to ebb. His movements were magical; she audibly gasped as he dipped her at the end of the song, pausing in that position as her breath heaved. They were so close, warm breath on skin; she never knew he could look so charming.

(A/N: I was listening to Killing Me Softly by the Fugees while writing this, and I think it fits. Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with, nor do I own, Killing Me Softly.)

Another song came on, one more suited to the whimsical style of floating on air that this dark demon had mastered. His eyes hypnotized her and he lifted her up and continued making her feel as if she were flying. Amazed at the heady effect something as simple as dancing had on her, he began moving in larger arcs, and thus needed more room. All of her surroundings were too much of a blur for her to realize he had moved them out into the balcony-style hallway, in full view of the room below. It was a wide hallway, plenty of room to intoxicate her mind. Slowly letting his disguise drop, he reassumed his normal appearance, one trait at a time. The length of his wild hair swirled around him, the blue demon markings materialized over his eyelids, his fangs glinted out of his charismatic smile, brown eyes turned blood red, and his clothing returned to the feudal lord garb; everything but the spikes and tails.

From down in the living room, Kagome's mother had noticed the two, dancing so romantically. Her heart leapt with joy at seeing just how happy Kagome was. Inuyasha seemed to only make her angry and sad, but this demon had her smiling brighter than she'd ever seen before. Kagome didn't even seem to notice she was being watched; too enthralled with the enchanting male that held her. Seeing her staring, Gramps and Souta also took notice. Souta making gagging sounds and Gramps whipping out a handful of sutras at the demon that dared touch his granddaughter. Ms. Higurashi just wrapped an arm around both of them, covering their mouths, with seemingly inhuman strength, and continued to watch as Naraku invigorated her daughter.

As the song slowed, Naraku pulled Kagome against him with the hand around her waist and with the other, held her chin. His eyes kept her hostage to his will as he closed the gap and captured her lips in a surprisingly soft kiss. Kagome melted instantly, returning the gentle affection. She had never in all her mind wandering pictured this scenario, and yet here she was, amidst the most perfect seduction.

' _If this is what it takes to get free, than so be it,'_ Naraku mused. _'Its not all that unpleasant either, I could really enjoy this. If she is going to keep me captive, than she damn well better entertain me.'_

Kagome was snapped out of her fantasy kiss when Souta and Gramps finally freed themselves, one running away in disgust, the other charging in out of anger as Ms. Higurashi just looked up at her embarrassed daughter with a starry-eyed expression. She still remembered her first kiss as well.

* * *

They hadn't spoken much since that kiss, Kagome too embarrassed to even look him in the eyes, which made it even more awkward for her when he made a point about following her anywhere she went. Only time she did not permit such hounding was when she slipped into the bathroom and quickly shut and locked the door. So then, how did he end up _inside_ , leaning against the door as she held a towel wrapped around her naked body? She had no idea, the extent of his abilities still predominately kept secret. "Out," was all she said, firmly, in a warning tone. He chuckled but then obliged, vanishing right before her eyes. And that wasn't the only nervous moment of this night, after climbing into her fluffy pick covers to sleep, she heard the bed creak and felt a large, warm body press up against her back, an arm draped over her hip. "W-what are you d-doing?" she asked stiffly, voice cracking.

"I desire to rest with that which belongs to me," Naraku whispered into her ear, giving the shell a lick.

She shivered but then her pride flared, "Hey, I don't _belong_ to anyone."

"Is that so?" he responded and she felt his chest leave her back, thinking he was backing off and suddenly feeling rather disappointed for telling him off, until she found herself pinned on her back, both hands trapped above her head with one of his, and the second free to trace her jaw-line and pink lips with his sharp claws. She noticed his chest was bare, leaving only his hakama on. Last time she had seen his bared flesh was when he was falling apart, but now, he looked flawless, perfect. Her breath hitched at the intimate proximity; the memories of the exquisite kiss they shared earlier flooding back in droves. "I beg to differ." His lips were just barely above hers and she couldn't help but arch up in an attempt to reach them, but he pulled back. "See, you can't resist, you desire me." She whimpered as he continued to deny her. "Now, say it; tell me who you belong to."

"I b-belong to you, Naraku," she pleaded, not caring about holding up pretenses any longer.

' _Good,'_ he thought, drowning her in a passionate kiss before returning them to their previous position to sleep.

* * *

Kagome had never slept as peacefully as she had in his embrace but Naraku didn't fully sleep at all, only rested. He only truly slept during his nights of weakness, and doing so resulted in his body returning to its original form: body pieces of countless demons. He had been putting it off, but it was becoming more insistent. He'd needed to find a way to get away from her long enough to restore his energy. Now heading back for the well, with Kagome clinging to his arm in a sappy manner, he broached the subject, "I need to return to my castle for a few days. Will you deactivate the rosary?"

"Oh, what for?" she asked curiously. He didn't want to say. Kagome detected his hesitance and tried guessing what he needed. "Do you need to feed again? No, that can't be it, any forest would do for that. How often do you need to feed anyways?"

"Without the jewel, every 5-10 days," he answered straightly.

Kagome counted off on her fingers, "So, within the next few days." Thinking it all over, trying to organize what she knew about demons, specifically half-demons, Kagome kept returning to one possibility, but didn't want to say it out loud. If it was as she thought, his night of weakness, he probably didn't want to speak of it or let her know. "How about we all go to your castle?"

He swiftly turned his harsh stare onto her at the suggestion. He wanted to be alone, not have all of his "enemies" in such proximity. "Unacceptable," he stated firmly.

Going with her hunch, Kagome shrugged, "Then I guess your request is denied unless you tell me a good enough reason to change my mind."

He nearly growled out loud at her audacity. At this point, his options were to either allow them at his castle and lock himself away, or postpone it and suffer. "We will arrive at my castle within two days of our return." Kagome practically jumped, excited to see where he lived.


	6. Chapter 6

Pet Spider

Summary: Inuyasha has the ultimate leash to control his tantrums, so why not collar Naraku, who has an even greater temper? What will the consequences be in subjugating such a volatile being? Kagome will find out soon enough. (Humor/romance/angst in that order. Lemon and Character death near end of story.)

Beginning is comedy ending gets more angsty, a mismatch of ideas thrown together just for the fun of it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. There is a lemon and character death near the end of the story.

* * *

Chapter 6

Jumping out of the well in the feudal era, Naraku kept his arm wrapped around Kagome's waist as he counted backwards in his head, _'3, 2, 1…'_

"Get your hands off her, you bastard," Inuyasha came screaming into the clearing. He may have been upset at Kagome, but he was even angrier with Naraku for his obvious manipulations, making it seem like Inuyasha was the bad guy to her family.

"Why should I?" Naraku goaded back. Kagome didn't fight his hold, but was a little wary of where this was going. "She belongs to me, even said so herself."

"Kagome? What the hell is he going on about now?" Inuyasha turned his attention to her instead.

"Um, well, you see," she was poking her fingers together nervously.

"Let me make it perfectly clear to you, Inuyasha," Naraku smirked then turned Kagome towards him and crashed his lips to hers. She tensed for a second at the suddenness but then relaxed and easily complied to his touch. This is the scene Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kaede walked into as Inuyasha began throwing every curse under the sun. His vision clouded with rage, he forgot about Naraku's rosary and slashed his claws at the spider. The hard to forget pain surged through him as it brought him to the ground with substantially more force than a 'sit' would. 'Sit' was a simple slap on the wrist in comparison to this intense agony. And on top of that, his most hated enemy had his tongue in Kagome's mouth, _his_ woman's mouth, and she wasn't even fighting it.

"Since when did this happen?" Kaede commented to the other bystanders about Naraku and Kagome.

"I had a feeling this was the direction their relationship was heading," Miroku commented, not sure how to feel about it. On one hand, Naraku had cursed his family and caused the deaths of his father, grandfather, and eventually himself, but he'd also never seen Kagome look so happy.

"I'll kill him," Sango growled under her breathe.

"I understand your feelings Sango," Miroku began, "but look at how happy Kagome looks."

"Fine," Sango grunted out very unladylike, "I'll kill him if he hurts her."

Inuyasha's screams pulled Kagome's attention and Naraku released her as she went to her friend's aid, thoroughly enjoying the dog's pain, physical and emotional. Pulling himself from the ground, he howled out, "What the hell, Kagome?"

"What?" she asked confused. "You didn't forget about his rosary already, did you?"

"That's not what I'm talking about!" his voice was beyond angry, betrayal resonating in its depths. "How could you? With him?"

"Oh," she blushed, "because I, well, you see, I like him."

"No, no, no," he exclaimed, "you can't. You are mine!"

She stood, bottled up anger threatening to spill, "No. I'm. Not."

"Yes, you are!" he barked back. "You've always been mine!"

"Is that so?" her eyes were practically burning now. "You've always thought of me as _yours_?" He nodded determinedly, thinking he won. "Idiot! How stupid do you think I am! As if I would believe that when you spent every chance you got to run off after, run off after… a memory! Do you not remember the positions I found you in? Now how could you possibly do that with _her_ if you thought _I_ was yours?"

Feeling the shame of his actions and mistakes of the past, Inuyasha flattened his ears to his head, "Kagome, I was only-"

"No," she interrupted, "I don't want to hear your excuses. They won't make a difference. I'm sorry, but I don't feel that way about you anymore, Inuyasha."

He hung his head, "I suppose I deserved that, huh?" His response shocked those present, expecting him to lash out. "I'm still not leaving your side though. You may not think you need it, but I have to protect you from him. I don't trust him for a second." Kagome just smiled, overjoyed that she hadn't lost her best friend.

* * *

When the destination was revealed, it upped the tension once again. Trying to sooth tempers, Kagome told the others they didn't have to come. Inuyasha was having none of that, not about to leave the two of them together alone and they all ended up at the castle together. It looked bleak, dead, and abandoned, as if his miasma had ravaged it at one point or another but had since cleared out. It was creepy.

"Kagura, Kanna," Naraku called as he entered the building, both appeared immediately. "Kagura, show them to the prepared rooms." He had ordered her to clean the place up, remove skeletons, and blow all of the miasma away before they arrived. She had never expected the reason was for his enemies to stay. "Kanna." He didn't need to say anymore, she knew by a single look that he was fatigued, even though he never outwardly showed it.

"Yes, Master Naraku," her soft, monotone voice echoed and the two turned down a hallway and vanished into thin air.

' _Kagura, do as Kagome instructs you, as long as it does not go against my wishes,'_ Naraku ordered Kagura telepathically. She only scoffed in response to his strange quirks. She would never understand him.

"They disappeared," Kagome spoke aloud, even though she could still sense his presence from an indeterminate location.

"Follow me," Kagura ordered and began walking off the opposite direction.

* * *

Once settled, or as settled as could be in Naraku's abandoned castle, Kagome's stomach growled loudly. Kagura had already wandered off so she decided to go look and see if there was a kitchen or something. It took awhile, but she found one. Unfortunately, it looked just as abandoned as the rest of the castle. There wasn't a scrap of edible food. _'Maybe there is food stored in the cellar,'_ she saw the stairs leading down and followed them, checking in barrels, on shelves, and examining jars. While stumbling around in the dark, she walked right into a spider web. Becoming an instant ninja in an attempt to get free of it, she stumbled over something on the ground. "Ouch. What was that?" she asked herself, crawling over to figure it out. "Another door? Isn't a cellar supposedly the deepest room? What could be down there?" She reached for the handle, feeling cold metal against her skin.

"Girl," Kagura snapped, making Kagome jump as if she was caught doing something she wasn't supposed to. In a way, she was. Naraku summoned Kagura in a hurry instructing her to keep an eye on them. Kagura still feared for her life, not having been informed that he was unable to harm anyone. "What are you doing down here?"

"Oh, I was just looking for something to eat," Kagome responded timidly, "but I can't find anything."

' _Kagura,'_ Naraku spoke into her mind, _'attend to her.'_

"Seriously, he has me doing something as menial as _this_?" Kagura spoke just barely above a disgruntled whisper. "Return to your room. I shall retrieve you once I have found something suitable."

* * *

It was hard to tell time in this place with a constant gloom permeating the 'sky.' The group was eager to leave already even though it had barely been a day; it felt like a prison. Kagome was lounging on the bed in 'her' room trying to be productive and catch up on her studying when a very hard body suddenly embraced her from behind. She struggled for a second until she recognized his laugh.

"You scared me," she pouted, pinned on her stomach beneath him.

"That is the typical reaction one should have to myself," he teased into her ear. She started squirming, trying to turn over to look at him, but froze when she felt her writhing excite him. A very prominent erection was now pressing into her backside, and it also felt like her skirt had hiked itself up, based on the feel of silk against her skin. "Do you feel what you do to me, Kagome?" She swallowed hard before nodding minutely. He trailed his clawed fingers down her side, tracing her curves and nibbling on her neck. She wasn't sure if she should make him get off of her or beg him for more. It felt so good, but was also moving much too fast. Or was it? Did it really matter how fast they took it, as long as she was comfortable? She pressed her backside harder against him, drawing a low growl. "Little vixen, you torture me with temptations towards an action I can not perform in such a state."

"Huh, can't? Why?" she asked, bewildered even though she wasn't meaning to go that far.

"The act of obliterating your innocence would cause you unavoidable pain, which would trigger the detestable spell you have placed on me," he explained huskily, still lavishing attention to her neck and stealthily working her skirt over her backside.

"Oh, well I guess I could just deactiv-" Kagome began, twisting her arm around, reaching for the gems strung around his neck.

"Kagome, can we get out of here yet?" Inuyasha hollered before he even got through the door, barging in thoughtlessly. As soon as he saw Naraku covering Kagome, a snarl formed on his face, showing his fangs. "Naraku, get off of her right now!"

"That, depends on her," Naraku spoke lowly. "Kagome, do you want me to continue?"

Becoming the center of attention and caught in such an embarrassing situation had her blushing beet red. She buried her face in the bed to try and escape having to answer that question. Yes, she wanted him to continue, but the mood was kind of dead now. "We'd best continue collecting the shards if you are done with whatever you needed to return here for," she mumbled through the silk sheets, the demons barely caught her words.

* * *

Progressing around the lands of feudal japan, there was still one important demon that had not been informed about the illogical situation with the shard hunters. The demon lord Sesshomaru stood on the opposite side of a meadow, staring down the unusual composition of his half-brother's pack, _'Since when has Naraku been amongst them? It matters not, his life still belongs to me.'_

Unable to hide his anticipation at seeing Sesshomaru's arrogance brought down a notch, Inuyasha was thinking the same thing as Naraku, for once, and probably the only instance in time. He knew Sesshomaru had claimed Naraku's life as his to take, so he declared, "He's all yours, Sesshomaru." Stepping back out of the way and waiting for the show to begin.

"It seems you will have no interruption if you should desire to attack me, Sesshomaru," Naraku smirked, but it faltered slightly as Kagome ran forward.

"Wait, Sesshomaru," she pleaded, "trust me, you don't want to attack him." She was terrified that if the rosary struck him, he'd be furious at her, since she was the one who placed it.

"What does a mere human know about what I do and do not want?" he declared, jumping forward and drawing Tokijin, readying the blade to slice Naraku into bits. A fraction of a second before the strike was loosed, a prickling energy danced across his skin, emanating from the necklace Naraku wore, but definitely not of demonic origin. At the last possible moment, he changed direction, leaping away and avoiding the holy strike that he detected a forewarning of. "Hn, I see." He stated knowingly, sheathing Tokijin and relaxing his stance. "Miko, explain."

Both Inuyasha and Naraku were disappointed that he detected the power soon enough to avoid it, but Kagome was only relieved that one worry was dismissed. "Well, you see Sesshomaru, after we had seen how powerful he had become, I found a subjugation spell to nullify his threat. The only one strong enough I could find, however, not only prevents him from harming others, but also protects him from attacks as well. It was the only way I could find to eliminate the immense danger he posed." She was proud of herself for speaking so clearly and without stuttering once before someone as deadly as Sesshomaru.

"You flatter me, my dear," Naraku whispered into Kagome's ear as she stood next to him. He was taking every opportunity he could find to elicit a positive response in her. "Kagome, allow me to return the favor tonight; I could 'kill you softly.'" Naraku's honeyed words however gave off an opposing scent, Sesshomaru noted that Naraku smelled of deception and bitter hatred. The priestess was in turn, giving off that sickeningly sweet smell of being completely smitten with the vile hanyou. In time, she would succumb to his fraudulence, and very likely release him, resulting in their deaths.

"You are a fool if you think him sincere, Miko," Sesshomaru stated, recognizing the spider's current ploy. "Naraku's inclination for deceit has not changed, only his tactics have been altered." This insight infuriated Naraku, not liking that his intentions were being spoken so plainly and putting his entire charade at risk, even though he kept a straight face so as not to give himself away completely.

"You're wrong, Sesshomaru," Kagome challenged right back. "What do you know anyways? You're not around us long enough to really see how things are." Kagome didn't believe a word Sesshomaru said, didn't _want_ to believe that the man she's falling for is still the same evil half-demon he's always been. People can change, she's seen it over and over again and was determined to have it happen once more.

"I shall return when you have become a viable target once again, Naraku," Sesshomaru recognizes its only a matter of time until the foolish girl wrongly trusts Naraku. For the time being, however; Naraku's life was beyond his reach. There was no point in sticking around.

"Aww, I wanted to see Sesshomaru get brought to his knees," Inuyasha whined as his brother left without so much as the slightest holy burn.


	7. Chapter 7

Pet Spider

Summary: Inuyasha has the ultimate leash to control his tantrums, so why not collar Naraku, who has an even greater temper? What will the consequences be in subjugating such a volatile being? Kagome will find out soon enough. (Humor/romance/angst in that order. Lemon and Character death near end of story.)

Beginning is comedy ending gets more angsty, a mismatch of ideas thrown together just for the fun of it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. There is a **LEMON** in this chapter and character death near the end of the story.

* * *

Chapter 7

Sitting alone, away from the others some nights later, enjoying the privacy the forest allotted, Naraku let his curiosity ask something he'd been wondering about for a while now. "You keep using the excuse for the rosary's barrier that it was the only spell strong enough, yet we both know you could have removed just that part if you wished and eliminated me," his stare was scrutinizing her reactions. "Why did you lie about this?"

"Because if they knew, they would have insisted I do just that, render you helpless and torture you to death, and that just doesn't sit right with me. Its too cruel," Kagome shook her head at the thought. Especially right now, sitting in Naraku's lap with his arms around her, his death was the furthest thing from her mind. "Killing him softly" on the other hand, was at the forefront of her mind; it became a euphemism between them for anything romantically related after their dance and first kiss.

"There are no rules in a fight to the death," Naraku informed, unfazed by the implications of his words. His hands and words were on two different subjects as well, sliding across her uncovered skin and causing a cascade of desirable chills.

"Perhaps not," Kagome reluctantly agreed, "but there are rules that I go by, even if it puts me at a disadvantage." She squirmed against the ticklish touches, inadvertently rubbing her backside against his hardening length.

"And what might those rules be?" his tone taking on a more heady state, merging the two lines of thought into one.

"Well," Kagome began, trying to focus through his skilled ministrations. "I play fair, only 'fighting back' when I am attacked first." She let her hand slide up his thigh, teasing him just as he was teasing her. He let a low growl rumble from his chest against her back. "And I try not to cause too much… 'pain' if I do have to 'kill.'" She turned in his lap, kissing him hungrily. They hadn't gotten much time to be together, what with Inuyasha watching Naraku so intensely after Sesshomaru's warning. She was pretty sure Naraku had a barrier up ensuring they would not be interrupted this time, which was fine with her. She wanted to see just where things would go.

She had also taken to turning off the charms on his rosary when they were alone, a way of proving to him that he had her trust. It was refreshing, having a portion of that weight lifted, and it only proved to progress his conspiracy all the more quickly. He hoped his hard work would culminate tonight. "Sometimes, a little pain is necessary," he teased back, laying her down on her back, hovering just over her, denying her the contact she burned for.

 **(A/N: Lemon alert!)**

She bit her lip and moaned at his words, catching the insinuation; he could be so dark and sinful when he wanted, it excited her. She couldn't think up any more clever things to say; she lost the game, but didn't care, "Be gentle with me?"

Her plea for him garnered a triumphant smirk, he could not hide his excitement, "Tell me what you desire." He let his eyes roam her body, watching her squirming movements as she tried to entice him without words.

"I, I want to," she arched her hips up, letting their bodies press together intimately, " _be_ with you." He chuckled at her innocent way of wording something so taboo. There was a reason why priestesses and demons rarely coupled, even if they did fall victim to that dreadful emotion of love. Apparently, Kagome did not know of such things that were taken for common knowledge of this time. Taboo was never reason enough to stay his hand, though; he would take benefit from her lack of information.

He let a growl loose near her ear as she pressed her sex into his, "I would be honored to be your first, but before we begin, I request that after this night that you do not reactivate the gems. I wish those limitations gone so that I can protect you." She looked up at him wide-eyed, finally realizing how hard it must have been for him being forced to just watch and not able to lift a finger to help her. She reached up to the gems on his rosary, and removed each of them completely, tucking the three stones into her pocket and giving him a sweet smile.

He needed them gone, not for the reason he gave, but for another, much more tactical purpose that would show shortly. He wasted no time in capturing her lips in a searing kiss, drowning her senses in pure lust. The anticipation was getting to him already, the finish line already in sight as he patiently worked her clothes off. Gently, so as not to sabotage his own purpose, his hands slid up the inside of her shirt, sliding it off over her head and casting it aside, only breaking the kiss for the moment it was needed. She twisted her arms around her back to undo her bra before he could rip it off, slipping it off and landing next to her shirt.

Snatching up her arms in one hand, he pinned them above her head with a low warning growl when she went to cover herself. His hot palms covered her tender chest, kneading the soft flesh expertly as he ground himself against her equally untouched core. Her soft moans urged him on, making his teetering patience even more precarious. Letting go of her wrists, her soft hands found their way into his haori, lightly tugging on the ties until they unwound, and slipping the fabric off his shoulders. His chest was as unmoving as steel, solid and alive as the muscles rippled beneath her fingertips. Sliding her skirt up to bunch around her waist, he let his fingers toy with her lower area through the very thin and tempting fabric that barely covered her. One quick jerk was enough to shred the garment, allowing the cool nights breeze to dance along such a protected space.

She flinched as she felt his fingers slip along her moistened lips and his thumb press into her sensitive pearl. She was already so ready, so willing. He let a single digit enter her silky passage, sliding easily with the abundance of nectar she produced. Adding a second had her arching harder into his hand, "Ah, yes, Naraku. More please."

He withdrew his hand, earning a whimper from the girl beneath him until she looked up to see him freeing himself from his hakamas, with an intense look in his eyes. They glowed bright, reddened from a bloodlust she mistook for passion. Springing from the confines, his member stood erect and perfect, massively endowed, making Kagome's eyes bug out nervously at the sight.

"This will hurt," he informed her unnecessarily, as if this was not obvious, but she nodded anyways, knowing it couldn't be avoided.

"Make it quick," she reasoned it would hurt less if he ripped her virginity away like ripping off a bandaid, but what he heard was a solid permission to revel in her pain and his victory. Settling over her once again, he found her entrance deftly, no hands involved, and prepared to lacerate her insides.

Kagome felt the thick pressure at her entrance and steeled herself for the incoming pain as he rocked his hips into her and sheathed his entire length into her canal. Her eyes screwed shut caused her to miss the malevolent glance Naraku gave her, enjoying both the pain he caused her and the beginning of the end of his scheme.

The second he penetrated her, obliterating her virginal barrier, he felt the process begin. The constant tingling energy emitted from the necklace diminished, lessening its oppressive hold. Moving before she ceased her pained reaction, Naraku could no longer maintain his persistence; he was far too excited for what was to come, he had waited long enough. It didn't take long for Kagome to join him in such pleasure, writhing against him and meeting his thrusts with her own. _'So close,'_ he told himself, willing his release to wait, _'almost there.'_ She was very enjoyable, he couldn't deny that as he battered his way inside her, feeling the knot in his gut tightening and threating to spring loose any time now. _'Just a little more.'_ He desperately reached for their ends, fueled by anticipation of success for his long, drawn out victory.

"Na-naraku!" Kagome screamed out as he snapped the spring coiled in her abdomen. Her release, clenching his length easily drew him down right along with her with a feral growl. Their bodies convulsed together and their orgasms wracked their bodies. He could feel as his essence filled her depths with the thick, sticky substance. The toxins of his demonic aura within her permeated her body, seeping into every last inch of her flesh. The influence spread, extinguishing her light and corrupting her powers, rendering them useless. The weight around his neck became nothing more than that of a simple necklace, no longer holding the holy powers she imbued into it and held him captive with. He was free. He was unable to stifle the triumphant laugh that escaped his throat in waves, a full bellowing laugh, ecstatic and exultant. She looked up at him oddly, unsure of what his deal was, not yet realizing the fact that she no longer had _any_ control over him. He had fantasized about this for months now, playing out several different scenarios in his mind as to which path to take now. He could kill her immediately, or take advantage of her longer and act as if nothing is wrong, waiting until they least expect it to cut them all down.

[A/N: I don't normally use this cliché, (the one where virginity = holy powers,) but for the sake of making this "one-shot" end, rather than last another 5k+ words, I decided to utilize it.

Oh, and **end Lemon**.]


	8. Chapter 8

Pet Spider

Summary: Inuyasha has the ultimate leash to control his tantrums, so why not collar Naraku, who has an even greater temper? What will the consequences be in subjugating such a volatile being? Kagome will find out soon enough. (Humor/romance/angst in that order. Lemon and Character death near end of story.)

Beginning is comedy ending gets more angsty, a mismatch of ideas thrown together just for the fun of it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. There is **CHARACTER DEATH** in this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 8

Naraku used her for several more hours before they returned to camp. Kagome still hadn't the faintest idea as to the web she just walked into, but she would soon find out. Neither had ever felt so satiated, but for Naraku, the fun was not over yet, in fact it was just beginning. Keeping his calm, he knew exactly what was about to happen, after all, the half-breed mutt was the most predictable creature he'd ever met.

"Kagome!" he barked, Naraku barely contained the mirth in his eyes. This would be much more satisfying that simply taking her life in private. "Where the hell have you two been for the last several hours?" His loud mouth succeeded in waking the rest of the camp who rose to see what was going on.

"W-we were," Kagome blushed nervously, trying to find a suitable explanation, "I mean, just-"

"Why do you smell like him, _deeply_?" Inuyasha voice lowered in octave, threat evident in the sound.

"You know what, Inuyasha," Kagome's anger gave her an added confidence boost, "its none of your business what we were doing."

"Of course it is you stupid wench," Inuyasha snapped, idiotically trying to tell her his suspicions about Naraku.

"SIT!" Kagome yelled in response to his insult, eyes squeezed shut in anger. Inuyasha visibly bristled, bracing his body for the impact, but nothing came; nothing, except for the bellowing laugh of Naraku. "What? What is going on?" Kagome looked back and forth between her hands and Inuyasha to try and figure it out. "Why didn't it work?"

That's when Miroku sensed it; Kagome had no powers. That could only mean one thing: Kagome had slept with Naraku. How foolish could she get? That was priestess 101, never give yourself to a demon. But Kagome wasn't from this era, and there were no demons in her time, so maybe that piece of knowledge was no longer common sense in her time. He had never thought to voice it to her in warning; damn, he was just as much to blame for his lack of forethought. Could this have been Naraku's plan all along, to bed Kagome and destroy her powers that bound him?

"Kagome," Sango ventured quieter, timidly hoping she was wrong but on the same conclusion as Miroku, "please tell me you didn't just have sex with Naraku."

Kagome blushed, but Naraku beat her to the response, "She did." He gripped her shoulders from behind. "You know what that means, Inuyasha." Naraku taunted, drawing all of their attention to his next move. He gripped his rosary and pulled, shattering the powerless trinket and causing beads to scatter everywhere. Kagome's eyes widened in shock.

"But how? I don't understand," she asked, still not registering him as a threat like the others were. He was the man she loved, he wouldn't hurt her; he had changed.

"I am surprised your companions failed to explain where your powers originate from," he taunted the girl, suddenly seeming taller and more foreboding than before. "The instant I tainted your body, you lost all semblance of your purity." She finally noticed that she couldn't even feel the jewel shards anymore; she really was powerless now.

Suddenly understanding that Kagome had no power, Inuyasha tentatively tried to remove his rosary too, but was zapped in response. "You lie Naraku," he snapped. "If Kagome has lost all of her powers, then why is my necklace still active?"

"Because you failed to bed the one responsible for placing the spell on it: Kikyo," Naraku taunted. "Pathetic really, that you couldn't even _get_ a woman who claimed to love you."

By now, they had all picked up their weapons, preparing for the imminent battle, the overburdening demonic aura laced with feelings of malice and an intense desire to kill was proof enough that he was no ally. Kagome was the only one who didn't pick up a weapon, not that it would have done any good. She turned tear-filled eyes on her lover, "Naraku, I-I thought-"

"You thought wrong," Naraku interrupted. "Did you honestly think I would fall in love with the wench that imprisoned me to her side? That I would change everything I am after the torture you have put me through? I used your heart against you; I turned your strength into a weakness. I do have to say, you were a very pleasing rut, the perfect conclusion to an ingenious design. And now, with your failure to see through to my nature, you will be rewarded with watching each of your friends die."

 **(A/N: Warning: character death incoming!)**

He snatched her up and enclosed them both in a barrier, flooding the area with miasma that quickly knocked out the humans. Sango hadn't had time to don her mask, not that it would have helped seeing as it dissolved flesh in an instant, and Miroku, even if he had erected a barrier, it would not have withstood. Kagome screamed out her agony at their deaths, crying in droves as she tried to spot the other three. The barrier glowed for a second as she saw Inuyasha try to break it without success. Walking over to where Naraku knew the fox to be hiding, he snatched him up with a tentacle and crushed his small body before handing him to Kagome. "A gift," he chuckled darkly as she tried to struggle out of his grasp.

"Inuyasha, Kirara," Kagome shouted, panicked that they would be next, "run away."

Kagome held Shippo's failing body in her arms as he whispered hoarsely, "Kagome, I'm scared."

"Its okay, Shippo. Everything will be okay," Naraku's evil laugh rang out again as Shippo slipped away into the afterlife, a look of terror on his face. Kagome just sobbed louder.

Inuyasha charged in again, this time riding Kirara but his attack did nothing besides reveal his location. Naraku grabbed them both, twisted tentacles held them still, Kirara meowing in pain to the left and Inuyasha trying not to scream out his own pain to the right. "Which one should die first, Kagome?"

"Stop it, Naraku," her struggles began anew. "Let them go."

"Not likely," he chuckled as he snapped the large cat's neck, letting her body fall limp to the ground. "One left," he needled as a claw-like spear extension from his body was stabbed through Inuyasha's gut, twisting its way through his flesh and approaching his heart.

"No, stop please," Kagome pleaded but the words had no effect on Naraku other than to drive him even more to kill the mutt.

"Goodbye, Inuyasha," Naraku taunted before ending his miserable life. He set down on the ground and let his miasma dissipate.

Kagome fell to her knees once he released her and bawled her eyes out over the bodies of her friends. "How could you?" she ground out.

"It was rather easy, actually," he placed his knee on her back, cracking a few ribs, forcing her down face-first in the bloodstained dirt. He knelt down to retrieve the nearly complete jewel from her pocket, already black from her own pain. Picking up Tessaiga, the sword that had defended her countless times, he let the point draw blood on her back. "This is your end." Plunging the sword through her lung, he left her there to bleed out slowly.

 **(A/N: End character death.)**

* * *

It did not take him long to complete the jewel, seeing as the only shards left were Kohaku's and Kouga's, and once he did destruction rained on demon kind. He mercilessly destroyed all that opposed him, absorbing, slaughtering, and torturing his way across the land. His wish granted him a complete body, one that no longer required his to feed on lesser demons, or anything for that matter. He finally had silence in his own mind, as well as all around him. Too much silence. Wasn't this what he wanted? It had only taken a couple hundred years to reach this point, where demons were extinct or extremely skilled at hiding from him, none opposed him, we was practically worshipped wherever he went, and yet, something was missing. Unbidden, the girl's face came to mind: Kagome, accompanied by a strange sense of longing. For the first time in his life, Naraku felt regret, "Maybe I should have kept her alive…" This line of thought haunted him, only growing more demanding as the years passed. Slowly, a new plan began to form, and he had one chance to execute it.

Keeping watch over the shrine Kagome resided in, he waited patiently for his chance. The day it arrived, he was confident it would work, and yet, held the slightest bit of apprehension. This would be his ultimate scheme, aimed towards the most formidable of any opponent he had, or would, ever meet: himself. He would only have a short window of opportunity to plant the necessary ideas in his own mind to alter his past actions. Actions he had already performed, but that his past self, visiting the home of the Miko Kagome, had yet to commit.

He had planted a small spider in the house to act as a medium between himself and his past self. As the first night fell, the tiny arachnid approached his past, very skeptical self, "How progresses the plan to attain freedom." The spider perched on the wall beside Naraku spoke in a way only another of the same species could understand.

"What would you know of my plight?" he answered quietly, so as not to awaken Kagome. He could do nothing to the little creature anyways, not with the spell around his neck.

"More than you realize," the spider responded, then gestured towards the sleeping priestess on the other side of the room. "What do you intend to do once you kill her?"

Naraku was a little surprised how this mysterious spider knew of his plans, "This set-back is temporary, and once it is dealt with, I shall attain my desires."

"That is not what I asked," the spider interjected. "I have no doubt you _could_ eliminate her, my question is what will you do once that is done? What are these desires you speak of?"

"You seem to have an inexplicable knowledge about me," Naraku pointed out, "therefore, I believe you already know that answer."

"I do," the spider acknowledged, "you will become complete, destroying all who would stand against you."

"Precisely," Naraku smirked, pleased with this mental image.

"And once that happens, you will fall into a depression," the spider posed this less than savory outcome. "You will be overcome with regret over the death of a single individual; suffer a longing to change your past, and be sustained for hundreds of years on the sole possibility of doing just that."

"What non-sense do you speak?" Naraku growled lowly.

"You will become lonely, having no purpose other than that which is transpiring this day, in this conversation we are now having," the tiny arachnid forewarned, giving away its identity.

"What you pose is impossible," Naraku tried to ignore the churning his gut was doing at this unexpected information.

"Is it really so impossible that you survive 500 years and choose to make life even more enjoyable for yourself?" the spider countered easily.

"If what you say is true, what would you have me do?" Naraku asked hypothetically. He could choose to heed this spider, which was apparently an extension of himself if it spoke the truth, or not at a later time.

"Keep the girl," the spider spoke plainly. "There are far more dynamic ways in purging the exasperating companions that follow her; ways that she could never deduce. And if she ever does become too much of a burden, her death could always come at a later time."

* * *

Even as Naraku spoke to his past self, his memories changed. He remembered that night, the night he was supposed to end them all. After returning to camp and stating the consequences of Kagome's actions, he shocked all of them by simply settling down in the grass near Kagome. He was undecided as to what to do next so he disappeared that night, putting himself into isolation to determine the truth of his future self's words and found them true. He did find it droll, boring, and begrudgingly lonely. Returning to her side had Kagome overjoyed. He would not let all of them live, however; there were more duplicitous ways of ridding himself of the useless additions. He set up scenarios that they couldn't possibly handle, making it seem as if their deaths were accidents or just the result of too strong an enemy, and eventually had all of them eliminated except Kagome, who he defended fiercely. He used black magic to make her life just as long as his and kept her forever by his side. Within a few hundred years, he had absorbed or destroyed all of the other demons in the lands that had not been smart enough to flee to another country. He reigned supreme, manipulating the time line itself to ensure he came out on top, and with a companion that would keep his mind from insanity for all eternity. Kagome belonged to him and she always would.

* * *

(A/N: Not anywhere near my best work and I'm not trying to pass it off as such. It was simply an exercise to keep me writing and ideas flowing despite a bout of writer's block. These were ideas I liked too much to discard, but not enough to put them in any of my main stories, so they got lumped into this conglomerate plot. Hope I managed to get at least a little laugh or other reactions out of my readers.)


End file.
